Asterisco is a new lamp by Valencian design studio, Cuatro Cuatros for Lzf. Its presence is so punctuating that the studio decided to call it Asterisk. Its clever integration with a lectern makes this lamp ideal for restaurants, hotels and hospitals just being next to the phone to take notes

After a collaboration of more than ten years, Dandelion is Burkhard Dämmer’s latest contribution to LZF.

Dandelion can be considered as one single lamp or a combination of lamps. Inside, every shade several LED circuits are hidden, which can be lit all at once or by sections to meet the requirements of the room and the time of day. Outside, the LZF wood veneer enfolds every geometrical shape, like cones sinking at different depths into the heart of Dandelion.

The result is a very original lamp, a geometric puzzle of light which resembles one of the most basic forms of life.

Designed by Mariví Calvo, Koi is a huge carp made of light and wood, a spectacular light structure, half-lamp, half-sculpture.

The inspiration for this wonderful idea came from an interlacing wood system and the transparencies it produced when lit. The system, consisting in the overlaying of wooden slats as if they were fish scales, is called the “Koi Fabric”, and was used for making iluminated walls.

The result is a stunning handcrafted piece measuring more than three metres from head to tail. Koi consists of a wooden frame, constructed using traditional Valencian carpentry techniques, which supports the skin made of dozens of small wood veneer pieces.

Lzf loaded its first handmade movie onto Youtube in September 2009. Since then it has received over half a million views and has been used on many blogs around the world as an example of an artesanal design process. The LZF workshop has grown considerably since 2009 and their artisans have developed new models and techniques – this new video takes you into the current LZF workshop, providing a glimpse into their creative process as they endeavour to give life to wood through light.

All LZF fixtures are handmade in Valencia, Spain, using their own Timberlite® wooden veneers meaning every fixture is unique and special.

We were intending to launch our new KE-ZU blog series Furniture for Thought at Blogsphere 2014 – the World Blogging Festival in Cannes this year. To our disappointment when we turned up at the venue, we were shocked to find it was a small shop on the boardwalk, selling You Cannes Touch This T-shirts to desperate Japanese tourists. The owner of the shop, Pierre La Bloom, ensured us that he’d never heard of Blogosphere 2014, but it would be a great idea for a T-shirt.

A few enquiries to the local tourism authority confirmed our worst fears. Blogosphere 2014 Cannes does not exist. Not in any way shape or form. We had been scammed out of our $5,000 entry fee by a shonky Nigerian named Mr Adebayo who (perhaps not surprisingly) refused to return our frantic calls.

So, jetlagged, $5,000-out-of-pocket, and back in sunny Sydney with nothing to show for our disastrous trip but a You Cannes Touch This T-shirt (Caron’s idea not mine) we are left with little choice but to launch Furniture for Thought right here, right now in less salubrious circumstances. No red carpets, no rude French waiters, no cocktails tricked up with miniature umbrellas… just a laptop on a desk at KE-ZU headquarters, a cold espresso and a half-eaten mulberry macaroon.

So, without further ado, welcome to Furniture for Thought; our new weekly look at the brands that help to make KE-ZU the uber-cool destination it is. In each edition we’ll be exploring one manufacturer, seeking to find out what it is that makes them tick. We’ll look at the history, the people, and the philosophy behind the names.

Our mates over at LZF Lamps have been busy daydreaming and transporting their products back in time to the fabulous 50’s!

In the spirit of current television and cinema trend, LZF have chosen the interior visual presentation technique of 1950’s interior design to prove that they are committed to timeless design – an interesting idea, taking current product and reversing the clock to test the theory. It’s a job well done with their suspension lamps seamlessly blending into the era. Have a look for yourself and remember, all the products are available at KE-ZU!